Christchurch snubbed again by the All Blacks

The town that hosted the first ever game of rugby in New Zealand has been granted a test match next year, while the largest city in the South Island has missed out for a second year in a row.

Nelson will be the venue for the All Blacks vs Pumas match next September, with Trafalgar Park to be upgraded from its current capacity of 7,000 to around 21,000. It will easily be the largest rugby match held in the city since 2011, when it hosted three Rugby World Cup pool matches.

However, the news is not so good for the home of the current Super Rugby champions. Christchurch, once a mainstay on the All Blacks’ home venues, will not host a match at the temporary AMI Stadium.

The ground was constructed to be a short term replacement for Lancaster Park, which was irreversibly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

A spokesperson for the Canterbury Rugby Football Union said:

“This is disappointing news for Canterbury rugby fans.  We understand that there are clear criteria for awarding All Black games, we need to accept that we no longer meet that criteria with the current facilities and infrastructure – that is just the reality we now face.”

Nelson is credited with being the venue of the first organised rugby union match in New Zealand, between the Nelson club and Nelson College in 1870. It will be the first time the All Blacks have played there.

All Blacks 2018 home schedule

June tests

v France at Eden Park in Auckland, June 9

v France at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, June 16

v France at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, June 23

The Rugby Championship

v Australia at Eden Park in Auckland, August 25

v Argentina at Trafalgar Park in Nelson, September 8

v South Africa at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, September 15